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1999 Belgian Grand Prix
29 August | officialname = LVII Foster's Grand Prix de Belgique | circuit = Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | location = Spa, Belgium | circuittype = Permanent racing facility | lapdistance = 6.968 | laps = 44 | distance = 306.592 | pole = Mika Häkkinen | polenation = FIN | poleteam = | poletime = 1:50.329 | fastestlap = 1:53.955 | fastestlapdriver = Mika Häkkinen | fastestlapnation = FIN | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 23 | winner = David Coulthard | winnernation = GBR | winnerteam = | second = Mika Häkkinen | secondnation = FIN | secondteam = | third = Heinz-Harald Frentzen | thirdnation = GER | thirdteam = }} The 1999 Belgian Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LVII Foster's Grand Prix de Belgique, was the twelfth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Spa, Belgium, on the 29 August 1999.'Belgian GP, 1999', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr642.html, (Accessed 28/08/2019) The race would see resist the temptation to swap their drivers late on, as David Coulthard claimed victory ahead of title pretending teammate Mika Häkkinen. Häkkinen had, as ever, been the man to beat in qualifying, with the Finn securing his tenth pole position of the campaign. Coulthard duly lined-up in second, ahead of the two s, while Championship leader Eddie Irvine could only muster sixth behind Ralf Schumacher. Raceday dawned dry and warm, a stark contrast to the horrendous conditions twelve months before that had proved the catalyst for the huge first lap accident. The two McLarens were in a league of their own, while Irvine barely on the pace of the Jordans. Yet, when it came to the race itself it seemed as if Häkkinen had lost a bit of focus, for a poor start would gift Coulthard the chance to joust with his teammate for the lead into La Source. The Scot duly elbowed his way past, Häkkinen not expecting his teammate to fight to hard, with the Finn furious for being attacked by his wingman. Regardless, the two McLarens quickly disappeared up the road from the rest of the field, in a race which proved rather tepid in spite of some early promise. Indeed, Irvine would find himself in an intense fight with Frentzen, the two s and Hill, although that group would quickly spread apart during the early stages. The pit stops came and went without issue, with Häkkinen losing more time behind Ralf Schumacher, while Coulthard pitted without dropping out of the lead. Indeed, so lack lustre was the Finn's pace in the second half of the race that the McLaren crew signalled "Push" on his pitboard, although Häkkinen continued to lap a few tenths of a second slower than his teammate. Likewise, there was very little action behind, with Frentzen able to keep Irvine at bay, while Schuamcher had dropped out of the fight having opted for a one-stop. Hill also lost time battling with Mika Salo in the second , who had already caused a stir by deliberately blocking Schumacher when the German was attempting to pass his teammate Irvine. Out front, meanwhile, Coulthard would cruise across the line to claim victory, while an unusually angry Häkkinen claimed second, refusing to shake his teammate's hand. Frentzen was a distant third ahead of Irvine, while Schumacher and Hill secured the remaining points. The results meant that Häkkinen moved into the lead of the Championship by a single point, while McLaren-Mercedes overhauled Ferrari in the Constructors. Background A fourth win of the season for Mika Häkkinen ensured that the Finnish ace left Hungary with his title hopes greatly enhanced, having carved into the gap between himself and the Championship leader. Indeed, Eddie Irvine had seen his advantage cut to just two points after his late relegation down the field, with the Ulsterman also beginning to show the strains of fighting for the title. Behind, David Coulthard had moved up into third ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, bumping Michael Schumacher down to fifth. In the Constructors Championship had delivered another strong blow to , with their one-two enhancing their tally to 90 points. Only Irvine's third place finish kept the Scuderia ahead, with Ferrari holding onto the remains of a four point lead over their Anglo-German rivals. Behind, were in an increasingly lonely third ahead of , while completed the top five. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * 75th Grand Prix entry for Mika Salo.'1999 Belgian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1999&gp=Belgian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 28/08/2019) * Twentieth pole position for Mika Häkkinen.'12. Belgium 1999', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/belgique.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019) ** Also the 25th pole for Bridgestone as a tyre supplier. * Sixth career victory for David Coulthard. ** Also the 30th podium finish for the Scot. * scored their 122nd win as a constructor. ** registered their 27th win as an engine supplier. Standings Mika Häkkinen moved to the top of the Championship with second place in Belgium, although the Finn believed he should have won had it not been for his teammate's barge at the start. Regardless, he would leave Spa with a one point advantage over former leader Eddie Irvine, who had minimised the damage to his title hopes by finishing fourth. Those two were thirteen clear of David Coulthard in third, with the Scot an outside shot for the crown alongside Heinz-Harald Frentzen, twenty behind in fourth. In the Constructors Championship a second one-two for in as many races had carried them to the top of the pack, leaving Spa on 106 points. That translated into a nine point lead over , who were pushing lead driver Michael Schumacher to return as they battled for their first crown since . Behind, third placed were still mathematically in the hunt, although with 50 points between themselves and Ferrari their realistic hopes were non-existent. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1999 Grands Prix Category:Belgian Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Belgium